OTHELLO lies on the south end of the Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway approximately 2 miles west of State Highway 17 in Adams County.

The area was settled around 1901 and established in 1904 as a center for dryland wheat farmers who homesteaded near there. The town's name comes from a Shakespearean tragedy, the analogy to where a boy fell off a 150' basalt cliff pushed by cattle west of the yet-to-be-named town. By 1910, the Milwaukie Railroad had established its western headquarters in Othello. Relative isolated ended in 1956 when State Highway 26 and State Highway 17 were hard surface asphalted ending the town's exclusive dirt road access.

The Old Hotel (33 Larch Street) was built in 1912 and is the only commercial building from early Othello still standing. It is two stories tall with 18 rooms and drop-siding clapboard walls. Wood for the walls was taken from Milwaukie Railroad bunckhouses now covered under fake brick and stucco. For almost 15 years, it was known as the White Hotel after one of its nine owners. The hotel operated for 62 years until 1974. In 1975, the Old Hotel Corporation transformed it into a community fine arts center. A 1946 steel rib sided bay-windowed caboose, built by the Milwaukee Railroad, stands next to the Old Hotel. In 2000 the Old Hotel was placed on the Washington State Register for Historic Places.

In December 2019, a community kiosk was erected on Main Street next to the Watermasters office. On one side is an introduction to the Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway. The other side highlights the town of Othello and activities associated with it. A kiosk dedication ceremony will take place in fall 2020 with the date still to be determined.